Highlights of Russian Arctic

Russian Arctic Holidays

At Steppes Travel, we cut our teeth selling trips to Russia in 1989, then expanding into offering voyages to the Russian Arctic for clients looking for a truly off piste Arctic experience. Our expertise in putting together trips to Russia and the Arctic is unrivalled.

Why we like the Russian Arctic

The Russian Arctic stretches from Murmansk in the west round to Anadyr in the east, encompassing the Barrents, Kara and Laptev Seas along with the Bering Straits. The remote islands and archipelagos such as Wrangel, Herald, Novaya Zemla, Franz Josef Land and Severnaya Zemlya support a stunning array of birds and wildlife. Wrangel Island is the world's northernmost UNESCO World Heritage Site and has polar bears in such great density that travellers in the Russian Arctic often experience a hundred or more bear sightings on a single trip.

What to expect on your holiday to The Russian Arctic

Bear, bears, bears and more bears! With one of the highest numbers of polar bears anywhere in the world, you are almost guaranteed bear sightings on Wrangel and Herald Islands

A land of huge skies, snow-capped mountains, towering bird cliffs, tundra wilderness and trees that you can look down on, beguiling and bleak, the definition of a truly remote destination

This region is home to a number of indigenous groups including Chukchi, Inuit, Yupik and Sami and you can visit them in their remote villages to experience their culture first hand

The waters of the Arctic Ocean are rich in marine life. Anadyrskiy Bay and the Lena River Delta are a great place to see belugas. Grey whales, orcas and humpback whales are all frequently seen, along with the occasional narwhal.

During the Cold War, the Russian Arctic region, stretching from Europe to almost touch America, was strategically important to the Russians and today you can visit a number of abandoned stations and submarine bases. These are some of the most godforsaken military postings you can ever imagine, a side of the Russian Arctic most visitors are not expecting.

OUR RUSSIAN ARCTIC EXPERTISE

Sue, our Russian Arctic expert, once travelled to Wrangel and Herald Islands aboard the Spirit of Enderby and was lucky enough to encounter more than a hundred polar bears along with two brown bears on the Russian coast, as well as encountering musk ox and polar bears at close quarters on foot. For this reason, she counts the Russian Arctic as one of her top wildlife destinations, and will use her experience and knowledge to put together your trip.